Ice in Asgard
by PsychoPixieCullen
Summary: Loki is a powerful God, but he is misunderstood, according to Princess Astrid. Can he prove himself to be on the side of Right (mostly), and discover the truth about his family and his origins? Loki x OC, Pepper & Tony, Hawkeye x Black Widow, other pairings as the author sees fit, to torture her readers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Lady Astrid**

POV: _Black Widow_

It was cold and dark, so naturally, the Hawk wanted to go off on watch and dragged me along.

"See anything, Clint?" I asked, shivering.

"Well, Tasha, I see a lot of things...be more specific!" he laughed.

I glowered at him, and elbowed him in the gut.

"OW!" he yelped.

"See anything HELPFUL to us?" I asked.

He looked through his binoculars for a minute. Then answered, "no...not ye-" he cut himself off.

"What?!" I asked.

He was silent for one long minute.

"Tasha, get over here," he said, handing me the binoculars.

As soon as I started looking, I saw it: A Meteor.

"Oh my gosh!" I said.

"Look closer," he told me.

I adjusted the site and saw what he meant. It wasn't a meteor - it was a...girl.

"Bozhe **moy**!" I yelled, dropping the binoculars.

I turned on my ear piece, and it crackled to life.

"Stark!"

"Yeah, I see it, Romanov," he said.

We heard his suit fly up from behind us, over us, and towards the girl. He swooped down and caught the girl, then flew back to us.

"Is she okay?" I asked when Tony landed.

The faceplate of his suit shot back, revealing a worried expression.

"She's unconscious, but breathing," he told us, and with the girl still in his arm, started to run to the elevator. The Hawk and I got in with him and I punched the button for Dr. Banner's lab. I hoped we would find him there and not have to search the entire R&D department, aka "Nerdvana".

"BRUCE?" I yelled as we entered the room.

"Yes, Miss Romanov?" he replied, peeking out from behind his microscope, glasses askew on top of his head and shirtsleeves rolled up past his elbows.

"We need your help," Clint said.

I pointed to the girl in Tony's arms by way of explanation; words were too time-consuming for this situation.

"Bring her in here, quickly," he said, jumping up and running through his office to a small, white, surgical room.

"Set her down," Bruce told Tony. Tony nodded and lay her down on the bed.

Bruce worked very fast, and hooked her up to as many monitors as possible.

"Is she ok?" I asked him.

I stared at the girl...she was really beautiful.

There was an energy radiating off of her, which made her appear...slightly blue.

"So far, so good. We'll just have to see when she wakes up." he said, also noticing the blue-tinted light radiating around her.

"Thank you, Doctor." I said, and walked out with Clint. I looked behind me expecting to see Stark, but he wasn't there.

"Where's Stark?" I asked Clint.

"He stayed with the girl," he told me.

"Oh...ok." I said, a bit shocked.

Deep down, I was very worried about our mystery woman. But, I knew that Bruce would take good care of her.

"You're worried about her," Clint said, after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah," I muttered. After a pause, he softly said, "...so am I."


	2. Chapter 2 Where the Hell am I?

**Chapter Two:** **Where the hell am I?**

**_POV Lady Astrid_**

"I think I'm dead," I thought to myself, and tried to think of what dangerous thing I could've done to get killed...but I couldn't remember.

"Ow...ow..." I muttered; I hurt all over and trying to move just made it worse. "_Might as well open your eyes, Astrid,_" I told myself. So, I opened my eyes.

"WHAT IN THE NINE REALMS?!" I yelled.

"Ah, good, I see you're up," a man in a white coat said as he walked over to me, clasping a clip-board in one hand. His glasses sat on top of his head, and his tie was crooked.

I was really puzzled now. Who was he? And, more importantly, where was I?

"Yes...um...where am I!?" I asked.

"You're on Earth. Ah,...Midgard," he told me, jotting something down on the clip-board.

_'Midgard...how the hell did I end up on Midgard?!'_

I remembered where I was from. I was from Asgard...but there were bits that were black, and I could tell they were important...but I couldn't remember.

"Hmm...something tells me I did not intend to end up here...but, at least I'm not dead!" I chuckled, and the man started to chuckle too.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"I'm Bruce. Bruce Banner," he told me.

"Hello, **Dr**. Banner," I said, seeing a small, white rectangle pinned to his shirt that read, _'Dr. Bruce Banner.'_

"So, is she dangerous!?" another man called from...elsewhere. I looked around, but could not locate the speaker.

"Not that I can see! Come on in Steve!" Bruce said, looking at me, with an apologetic look.

I chuckled. Dr. Banner returned my grin.

The doors opened, and the speaker entered. Dr. Banner had called him "Steve," but he wore no small white rectangle, so I supposed I must wait for the man to introduce himself. Steve smiled, and walked over to me.

"Hello, Ma'am," he said. I cringed. "Ma'am" just didn't sound right; I shook my head.

"Miss?" he tried.

"...Nope," I admitted. Steve sighed. "You know, this would be a lot easier if I knew your name," he laughed.

"Female person?" another man asked as he walked in, grasping a cup of hot coffee. His hair was messy, and he had rings under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping. The manic look in those eyes made it clear that he was quite fond of the caffeinated drink he held, and that he'd already ingested a good deal of it.

I inhaled deeply through my nose, and the smell of the coffee gave me goosebumps. I started to laugh.

"Still not right!" I said, smirking, and grabbed his coffee.

"HEY!" he said, swiping at me, trying to get it back. "Hello, Tony," Bruce greeted the newcomer with a wry smile.

I took a sip, and the warm liquid soothed my strangely sore throat. Now all the men in the room were thinking.

"OK...this might sound weird but, - 'Lady'?" Tony asked, staring at the coffee still.

"_Lady_" ...now, THAT sounded Right. A voice echoed in my head...and it repeated, 'Lady,' but it wasn't my voice...

"Yes!" I said.

"Really!?" he asked.

"Yep!" I laughed.

"Alright! Now that we have your title, may we have your name?" Steve asked.

I smiled. "Astrid, " I said. "That's a beautiful name," he said. "Thank you, Steve."

"Is she awake?!" A woman yelled as she ran into the room, her crimson hair messed up as if she'd been running. When she saw me she smiled.

"I guess she is! I'm glad to see that you're finally awake," she said by way of greeting.

I smiled. "Yeah...me too!"

"I'm Natasha Romanov," she told me, and extended her hand. We shook, and again I affirmed my name: "Astrid," I told her.

A few more minutes of conversation passed, and two more people joined the group. They were introduced to me as "Hawkeye", and "Thor". Upon hearing the latter name, and seeing the silver armor and red cape, I felt a strange prickling in the back of my brain - this was another thing I SHOULD remember, but...damnit, I couldn't. Not yet.

"Okay. Now let's ask the question that's on all of our minds. We know WHO you are - but WHAT are you?" Steve asked.

"She is Jotun," a silky voice with a core of steel said from the doorway. All our heads snapped up and turned to towards the voice.

"Uh...yeesss, but - only half." I said slowly, shaking my head. HOW did I know that, and By Yggdrasil, What Was a Jotun? The feeling that I should be able to own this knowledge and yet could not was starting to hurt.

"LOKI?!" everyone yelled. "_Loki_..." I thought. The name sounded familiar but, I couldn't Remember. Wait - It was **_his_** voice I had heard in my head! When my eyes fell on him, something clicked, and I felt connected to him...As though I knew him, and had for a long, long time.

He was beautiful. His long black hair was like the night sky, and it rested on his shoulders, framing his face perfectly. His green eyes were like emeralds, set in a finely-boned face the color of new parchment. The contrasts were striking, but - I realized, that was Loki: a study in contrast.

"LOKI!" Thor yelled in an angry voice, running over to him, and pinning him to the wall.

"NO!" I yelled, and ran to Loki. I quickly pulled him away from Thor. I felt all eyes on me. I realized now that Thor was an Asgardian. They were very strong, so pulling someone away from one wasn't easy, but Loki had said I was a Jotun, yes? I still wasn't clear on what that entailed, but it seemed to include strength to rival an Asgardian - and surpass most on Midgard, if I remembered correctly.

"Well, hello to you, too," Loki said, as he guarded me behind his back, a slightly shocked tone to his voice.

Thor glowered at Loki, and stomped out of the room. I sighed in relief.

"What are YOU doing here?!" Tony asked, sounding as shocked as everyone else looked. Loki smirked, and turned to face him. "Well. I would say that I have changed my ways, but that is very trite - so instead, I will ask for your forgiveness, and say that I am very sorry for what I did on my last visit to New York," Loki explained.

Tony smiled. "Well! I believe Reindeer games!" he said, and patted Loki on the shoulder. Loki looked at Tony's hand on his shoulder, and he sighed heavily. "Thank you, Anthony," he said, a mischievous smirk forming. Tony's face turned to complete annoyance.

"Sorry doesn't cut it for the lives you took," Clint growled, stepping closer to Loki, balling his hands into fists. "Clint, come on, you need some air," Miss Romanov said, taking his arm and pulling him out of the room. "I'm sure Loki must have a good explanation, and we'll hear it - once you've calmed down!"

Soon, Loki turned to me, after speaking to the rest of the people in the room.

"You have questions," he said. "How did you know I was a Jotun?" I demanded. He smiled and took my hand. "Because," he started, and put his lips to my ear, "I am, too." He finished, his cold breath making my ear tingle. I smiled. He pulled away slowly, and touched my face. His hand was very cold, but it didn't bother me.

"So, what **is** a Jotun?" Tony asked. I smiled and turned to face him. "It means 'Frost Giant'," I explained. The look on his face was Priceless.

That night I wracked my brain to find the memories of Loki, that I knew were in there. "Come on...come on!" I said, and started to hit my forehead. I knew I had met him before - I had known him before - but I Just. Couldn't. Remember. It felt as though I was searching through the dark corners of my mind without a map, and getting lost with my flashlight flickering.

And then, it was like seeing the proverbial Light at the end of the Tunnel. I was getting more and more tired while I ran to it, yet I knew I couldn't give up - this might be my only chance at finding my memories of Loki.

I finally reached the light, and was engulfed by it. I was now _**in**_ my memory.

I was cold - which was strange, as I wasn't ever cold. The room I was in was dark; it had barrels in the corners, and shelves stacked with food. My nose tingled with the smells of different spices. I was alone...and scared. It came to me that this was the feeling you get when you know you're about to die.

I rocked back and forth, trying to keep calm. "_where is he?" I thought_. _Soon, I heard footsteps and hid my face in my hands_. "_Astrid?" he called...LOKI called_..."THERE you are!" I said, the anger and relief fighting with each other. "Are you alright? Were you harmed?" he asked, and ran to me. "No, I am fine." I said, as he helped me up. "Is Asgard safe? Is the attack over? What-"  
"Shhh," Loki pressed one finger gently to my lips, stilling further questions. "Yes, Yes, and No more questions until after you rest, and eat. Understood?" I nodded mutely. Now that I was **not** about to die, I discovered that I was actually quite hungry. The kitchen staff was admirable, already readying the evening meal - no attack, no invaders would delay the Evening Meal. Woe unto them that tried!

Loki and I needed to clean up before heading to the Dining Hall proper; it would not do for those of our standing _('our standing?' my memory tickled again)_ to appear at Meal bedraggled and dusty.

"Now," he began, in a jesting manner - but trailed off, waiting...for what? "What?" I asked, leaning away from him. He smiled and laughed. "Now you owe me one!" I was flummoxed. "WHY!?" "I just saved you from untold horrors, did I not?!" he laughed. "Um, excuse me, I was completely - " He cut me off with a look. A look that I realized I knew very well; I had even named it. The "You know I'm right, You just don't want to admit it," look.

"Fine! I owe you one. NEVER TELL THOR. " Loki waited. "...Thank you," I finished, and hugged him, hiding my face in his shoulder. We had known each other since we were children, and would cause all sorts of mischief together.

Soon, the memories started to get fuzzy, like bad reception on a Midgardian Television._ 'How in the WORLD do I know that?!' _And, just like that, I was in the dark again - the blinding light, just a flickering candle.

I was back to reality, and I didn't want to be. I wanted to be lost in my memory...

I started to cry. I wanted the memory - the **_reality_** - where I knew Loki.

"Astrid?" Loki asked, walking into the doorway and stopping. I looked up at him through tear flooded eyes and even through the tears, ...he was clear. Was I awake, really awake now?

"Are you alright?" he asked, worry filling his voice. I shook my head negatively. "n...no." I choked out. He walked over to me and sat down on my bed, pulling me onto his lap. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I...I was just...thinking," I said, absent absent-mindedly curling up and holding onto his shirt.

"What about?" he asked.

"I suppose I should tell you..." I said, the tears subsiding.

"I'm listening." he said, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"The second I saw you, I felt like I'd met you before - and I was trying to remember, just now - and - and I remembered...something. Not sure what. "

"Then why are you crying?" he asked, puzzled. "Was it that bad?"

"Because...because I didn't want the memory to end," I said, my eyes tearing up again.

"Iknow how you feel," he said.

"How?" I asked.

"Because I had the same memory."

My eyes widened as I stared at him.

"So...so you felt the same way when you met me?" I asked, my voice hopeful.

"Yes," he said, a smile starting on his face.

I smiled and closed my eyes. I felt my face moving slowly closer to his. I felt the warmth of his face inches away from mine...

"HELLO!" Tony said.

I sighed heavily and opened my eyes. Loki's green eyes smiled back at me.

We both turned and glared at Tony, who was lounging in the doorframe with a martini in his hand. He looked puzzled, and cocked his head to the side.

"TONY!" Pepper called as she ran down the hall, her high-heeled shoes sounding like horses galloping down the hallway. When she got to Tony, she looked into the room. Her eyes widened upon seeing me sitting on Loki's lap, and she spun around and stomped her foot at Tony.

"Oh, GOD, Tony!" she yelled, grabbing his arm and pulling him back down the hallway with her. "What?! What'd I do?!" he asked. I laughed, got up and walked to the door to listen to the aftermath of Tony and Pepper. "Just **_think,_** Tony! THINK about it!" Pepper said, waiting for him to figure it out.

There was a long pause.

"Oh. OH. OH! That DOG!" Tony said, laughing.

I turned to Loki, and found my best friend.

"You're BLUSHING!" I roared with laughter.

"I AM NOT!" he yelled.

"ARE TOO!" I retorted.

"I AM **NOT** BLUSHING!" he said.

I folded my arms and used His look on him.

He sighed.

"Oh, Odin," he swore under his breath, defeated. I laughed evilly.

"A Norse God, blushing. Now THAT is something I never thought I'd see!"


	3. Chapter 3: So, NOW What?

**Chapter Three****: So...now what?  
**_POV Lady Astrid_

After Loki admitted that Yes, he did indeed blush, I stood in the middle of the room, unsure how to proceed...I was also kind of confused. I mean, I had almost kissed Loki!

And I really felt like I **should** have kissed him. "Now what?" I asked. He shrugged, then got up and in two long strides he was standing next to me. "Possibly, ... this?" he said, and kissed me.

The flood of emotions that filled my body made me tingle all over. I was so shocked...i didn't know what to do. Almost absent-mindedly, I started to kiss him back. I put my hands on his shoulders so I wouldn't fall down. Then, we both remembered we had to breathe. I broke the kiss with a gasp, followed by the harsh sound of Loki's uneven breathing. Seconds later we both realized what had just happened: we had just kissed.

I stared at him and threw my hands up in the air. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. "GAH!" was the only thing I could get out. "What!? Did you not enjoy the kiss?" he asked, his cheeks turning just the slightest bit pink. "YES! Yes. I loved it! But, THATS the problem! How do we move on from here?!" I asked. I saw the realization coming onto his face. "Hhm...how would **you** say we proceed?" he asked, puzzled. "I don't know!" I sighed, but I hugged him. It felt - right. He was much taller than me, so I only came up to his chest. He hugged me back, and stroked my hair. The days events had tired me out, and I was pretty much falling asleep standing up.

Loki walked me over to my bed, and sat next to me. I lay down and snuggled up next to him. Earlier that day, I had asked for pencil and paper, and drawn to keep myself busy. I had grown proud of them, so I taped them up on the walls of "my" room. My favorite was the one of Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse.

I found Loki looking around at the drawings; He seemed to like the one of Sleipnir, as well.

"Yes, that one's my favorite too," I smiled. "Yes...I have always liked Sleipnir. He is such a good horse," he said thoughtfully.

I began to think. No, I began to **_remember_**. "No," I thought. My eyes went from Loki to the picture and back, for the next few minutes. And then, I finally made the connection; My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

"OH. MY. GOD. LOKI!" I yelled, smacking his arm.

"WHAT?! OW OW OW!" he yelped, dodging further contact with my frantically flailing hands.

"YOU! THE HORSE! EEEEP!" I squealed.

He looked at me awkwardly, obviously wishing I had NOT made the connection between him and the horse.

He sighed, and rested his face in his hands. "Can we change the subject?!" he groaned. I laughed, snorting occasionally. "As you wish," I said with a devilish grin.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. I supposed I was more tired than I'd realized.

"Astrid?" came a voice that some part of my brain identified as "Tony" asked, seemingly VERY close to my ear.

"IT'S NOT MY FERRET!" I yelped, and sat up. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and glowered at Tony and Loki. The latter was, for starters, on the ground laughing his ass off, while Tony was leaning up against the wall, laughing almost at the point of tears.

"What. Do. You. Want," I hissed.

Hearing the angry tone to my voice, Tony immediately stopped laughing, and looked at me like I was a ticking time bomb.

"Umm...well-"

"If you woke me up a-purpose, there had better be a REALLY GOOD reason," I growled, staring into his soul.

"Ah. Well...err-"

"Rogers called a meeting, and he needs all of us there," Natasha said, sticking her head in the door way.

"Thanks, Nat. We'll be right there," I said, throwing the covers off and getting up. She smirked, nodded, and left. Loki was still on the ground laughing, so I kicked him out out of my way, and slipped into the closet. "What do you think is going on, Tony? Why is Steve calling a meeting, is he the leader of your group?" I asked through the door.

"Dunno...maybe there's something wrong with Fury. Oh, and Yes, he is - he has the military rank of "Captain" from the last big war our world had," he said. I nodded, filing the information away for future reference. I chose and pulled on a tank-top, and a pair of leggings. After I was dressed, I opened the closet door to see Loki still lounging on the floor. "Oh, get up!" I laughed. He smirked as he did so, and as we walked down the hallway, I lightly punched his arm. I chuckled, and messed up his hair. He looked down at me, and tugged on my hair.

"Hair, Hair, HAIR!" I yelped; he just snickered.

When we got to the meeting room, we saw everyone. Thor, Natasha, Clint and Bruce, with Steve at the head of the table. Thor seemed to be in a much better mood. Loki and I went and sat next to him. Thor laughed and hugged Loki. "Let me go...I cannot breathe," Loki choked out.

I laughed. Thor did as well, and let Loki go.

"Thank you all for coming - the reason I've called this meeting is because we can't get through to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. We just get a dial tone on all of the numbers, private and public," Steve said. I could see he was worried, and this feeling ran through the room quickly. "We've been trying to hack into the database all morning, but not even Stark could get through," Natasha said. "What are you going to do now?" I asked, leaning forward in my chair.

"Well, I had an idea, but Cap didn't like it," Tony said, patting Steve on the shoulder. He glared at Tony. "Storming in and fighting our way to Fury will not solve anything, Mister Stark," Steve said, standing up and folding his arms in a gesture of finality. They started to argue, and Thor, Loki and I leaned back in our chairs and slid down slightly, hoping to get out of the blast zone. "Do they do this often?" I whispered to Thor.

"Most every day, My Lady," he whispered back.

"OK, QUIT IT!" Nat yelled, and hit the table. Steve and Tony immediately stopped arguing. "Thank you! Now, I happen to think that Stark's idea is good. We all know that when Fury decides to keep something from somebody, they will not find out without a fight. Who else likes this idea?" she asked.

"I don't like violence, but I agree with what you said, Miss Romanov," Bruce said.

"I agree with Tony," said Hawkeye.

"So do we," Loki agreed.

I smiled, and rested my head on his shoulder. Tony smirked, and turned to Steve. "Well. I guess we're going with my plan." he said, chuckling. Steve sat down, grumbling something like, 'reckless little boy.' Tony turned to Loki and I. "How are you guys gonna fight?" he asked. "Got another Glowstick-of-Destiny up your sleeve, Lokes?" Thor laughed. Loki looked at Thor, his smile fading slightly.

"Like so," I said, holding my hand out in preparation. I looked to Loki, and he nodded. "Ladies first," he said. I smiled. I was quite excited to see Tony's reaction. I stood very still, concentrating on - nothing - and felt my skin get colder. I was hesitant to open my eyes. What if I was wrong about this?

"Whoa," Tony said, in a very small voice. I wasn't wrong.

I opened my eyes with a smirk formed on my face, and held my hand out. Using my magic, I sent ice spears into the wall in front of me.

"GAHH!" Tony yelped and fell backwards, flipping over his chair, and almost knocked the table over.

I lost it. I fell back in my chair, and laughed until my sides hurt. "Your...turn!" I manged to say. Loki laughed, and his hand turned blue, his handsome expression souring just a bit.

"THAT. WAS. AWESOME! Do it again! How'd you DO that? Mirrors? Projections? " Tony said, popping out of his chair to examine us more closely. Loki waved him back, and allowed his hand to return to it's Asgardian appearance. I allowed myself to do the same, and then opened my eyes and through laughter induced tears, I saw Tony's huge smile. Loki laughed. I wiped the tears from my eyes, still laughing a bit, and looked at Nat who was also laughing a bit.

"OK, so whats the WHOLE plan?" Clint asked, eying Loki carefully. We all talked for a good hour, about what the plan was, and who was to be involved, and how. It was decided that we would all go. It wasn't easy for Dr. Banner, who was not at all crazy about being involved with this idea.

"J.A.R.V.I.S!" Tony said, getting up.

"Yes, sir?" came the cultured voice of the AI.

"Send the Rolls."

"Right away, Sir."

"You have a Rolls Royce?!" Steve asked, a small bit of envy showing through his "Captain Face".

"Yup! You'll love it, Cap. You can even ride shotgun!" Tony patted his shoulder, and broke into a jog, headed for the garage. We followed, and my jaw dropped. I was not used to mortal carriages just yet.

It. Was. Beautiful.

Loki got in, and took my hand, pulling me into the seat next to him. I laughed and held my hand out, flexing it and enjoying the sight of it turning blue. If I were honest with myself, it _still_ scared the hell out of me, no matter how many times it happened. Loki understood how I felt, knowing that he was also part Jotun. "You never get used to it..." Loki trailed off.

"Hey, Frosties One and Two!" Tony said, leaning over the seat. I chuckled, and watched Loki smirk, raising an eyebrow. "Amusing," he decided. "What?" Tony asked.

"That you think taunting a powerful God is a good idea," Loki finished, his hand now acquiring a green aura 'round it. For the rest of the ride, Tony was strangely silent.

It didn't take us terribly long to get to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Head quarters. I looked at the door. It was guarded by two Guards - Big, and Dumb. Clint and Natasha quickly ran over the plan again. "You are right," Loki murmured into my ear. "About what?" I responded. "They would be quite good, if they were together," he smirked, while I held back my laughter.

"You ready, Astrid?" Natasha asked. "Yep!" I said, opening my car door and following the black-clad Assassin. "Enjoy beating up the mortals!" Loki said, a cheery tone to his voice. "Will do!" I laughed, and shut the door. I pulled my hood up onto my head, slipped my hands into my pockets, and ran a little bit to catch up with Romanov.

I felt my hand freezing the fabric of the pocket, one strand at a time. We slowed as we approached the guards, and I let Nat take the lead. "Chris," Natasha greeted the first with a nod. She made to enter the building, but he blocked her way. "I'm sorry, Agent Romanov, but you can't go in just now," Chris said.

"Oh, come on Chris, it's just me," she said, trying to slip by him again.

"Nat. Fury told us not to let any of you guys through," he said, a bit firmer than before. She looked up at him thoughtfully. "Alright," she said, and walked back to me. "Go ahead," she whispered, smirking. I smirked as well, and started towards Chris and his brother-in-arms. They had no idea what was coming, and this idea amused me.

"Like I told Na-" Chris started, but before he could finish I grabbed his wrist, freezing him solid.  
"HEY!" the other guard yelled, starting towards me while reaching for his weapon. I smiled wide, and with one touch of my index finger, I froze him, as well. I closed my eyes and concentrated, making sure I still felt their life forces strongly - there, I felt two hearts beating. They were immobilized, but not otherwise harmed. I hoped.

I chuckled nervously, and turned back to the van, motioning for everyone else to come out. Loki got out, even making THAT look regal, and strode over to me, black hair whipping about in the wind. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he chuckled, looking at the damage I did. "Very much so," I nodded.

He smiled.

"Hey, Astrid?" Tony called. "Yes?" I asked, running over to him with Loki on my heels. "Could you open this door?" he asked, gesturing ahead of him. I studied him - He had his suit on, so he could obviously have blown the door open by himself.

"You just want to see me freeze it, don't you." I said.

"NoYes - yes, I really do. IT'S SO COOL!" he said. I had to laugh - it felt good to be with comrades again after so long alone. "Alright, Tony!" I said, and walked over to the door. "Want to help, Loki?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "Of course, My Lady," he said, smirking openly. We both pressed our hands up against the door, and saw it begin to freeze and crack. "You might want to take shelter," I said, speaking over my shoulder.

"I got this," Tony said, standing in front of everyone like a shield.

"I do believe we might want to get to a safe spot as well, my dear," Loki said, as the door started to creak ominously.

"Yes, " I agreed, slowly walking backwards, keeping my hands up. I focused, and moved my hands up and down. "What is she doing?" Tony asked. "I don't know..." Dr. Banner said, thinking. I smiled, as I saw the thin layer of ice get thicker each second. "LOKI, NOW!" I yelled, feeling the struggle of keeping the ice coming. He ran back behind the shield.

With a loud_ 'BAM!'_ the door shattered into hundreds of pieces. I stared at one sharp piece that was coming right towards us...it was hypnotic. "NO!" Loki yelled, and grabbed me, pulling me down just in time so I wouldn't get speared by the shard. I barely heard Tony vaporize all of the shards over the sound of my pounding heart beat in my ears. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, in reaction to the fear. "You guys OK?" Nat yelled, running over to us. "Yeah...Yes, we're OK," I replied, standing up, my voice shaking. When Loki stood up I hugged him. "Thank you...so much." I said, burying my face in his chest.

"You are most welcome," he said, smiling.

"Ready?" Tony asked.

"Yes," I said, grabbing Loki's hand and pulling him along.

Many more guards lined the next door. "We got this one," I said. Loki smiled, and walked forward with me. "Get them!" a tall man yelled. "This is when the fun begins," I said, starting to run. I smiled, and slid under one of them, grabbing his leg and freezing him, just like the others. After I had frozen the rest of them, the biggest one started to storm towards me.

"Now, we're talking!" I said, and got ready. "Gah!" he yelped, and was quickly encased in a block of ice. "Loki!" I yelled, disappointed that he'd reacted before me. "You dealt with the other ones, It is only fair," he said, chuckling. "Since WHEN do you care about things being fair?!" I asked, with a heavy sigh.

After a few more doors, and about a hundred guards later, we finally made it to the last door, which strangely enough, wasn't guarded.

"Alright. Give me a minute and I'll-" Dr. Banner started.

"Actually Doc, I think Astrid's got that one covered," Clint said, chuckling.

I had run over to the door, and stabbed it, my hand slicing the through the steel like it was tin foil. With one tug backwards, I pulled the door right off of it's hinges.

"WHAT THE HELL?! a man yelled from inside.

"You guys ready?" I asked.

"Yep!" they said.

Loki and I nodded to each other, and ran into the room. Hawkeye and Nat both pulled out their weapons and started firing. Dr. Banner, or should I say 'The Hulk', was making his way through quite...ehh...quickly. Loki and I stayed close, just in case something happened. I scanned the area, looking for Fury. From the description Steve Rogers gave me, he shouldn't be hard to find, were he here.

"Just like Norway all over again!" Nat yelled.

"You and I have very different takes on Norway!" Clint chuckled, loosing his arrows with deadly accuracy.

"Up there!" I said, pointing, and started to run. I fought my way up to Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., getting some pretty bad cuts on my way up. "Who the hell are you?!" Fury asked.

"Your worst nightmare," I said, and kicked him in the gut. He fell back a few feet, and hit his head. I smirked. "GAHH!" I yelled, and fell frontwards onto my stomach. I tried to catch myself before my face smashed into the floor, but it was too fast. I tasted the sour liquid in my mouth. I had split my lip.

I grunted in pain, and got up, and punched the person behind me. He hit the floor, and slid a couple inches. I read his name tag. 'Agent Phil Coulson', it read. He didn't seem to be getting up any time soon, so I turned away, and attempted to locate Fury again. BIG. MISTAKE.

"AAH!" I yelped, and fell onto the floor again, but this time I wasn't quick enough. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I heard Loki yelling my name, but he was blurred in my hazed mind. Then it all went black.

"Astrid! Come...Please!" Loki said, pleadingly.

Everything was coming back slowly. The pain was very strong, and my lower lip was still sore.

"oww.." I muttered. I heard meany sighs of relief around me.  
"ow! Jeez ow!" I said again, and opened my eyes. Everything was blurred for a moment, but soon cleared up again. The first people I saw were Dr. Banner and Loki. I was apparently laying in Loki's arms.

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" he asked me.

"Tired...and...I hurt. A lot," I said, chuckling a bit, but that just made my chest hurt.

"Dr. Banner?" Loki asked.

"Where does it hurt the worst?" he asked me; I immediately pointed to my left side. The Dr. went to work, poking & prodding, as I tried to watch what he was doing. "How does it lo- OW! JEEZ, DOC!" I said, squeezing my eyes shut. "Sorry, My Lady!" he said. "It looks fine, just a bit infected," he told me.

I sighed heavily, and opened my eyes again. Loki was staring at me, a relieved look on his face. "How long was I out?" I asked.  
"An hour at the latest," he said, shuddering at the memory.  
"Were you worried about me?" I admit, I was curious.  
"Of course I was!" he snapped.  
"He was almost crying," Bruce said, absentmindedly, as he worked on my side, cleaning out the rest of the infection.

"Really?" I asked Loki. He touched my cheek. "Yes," he told me, a tired smile slowly breaking on his face.

"Wheres Tony?" I asked, looking around. Loki's smile disappeared, and he looked at Bruce. Bruce returned the look - and did not answer my question. Fear turned my stomach upside down. "Loki? Where's Tony?" I asked, close to tears. Bruce sighed, and took my hand. "Tony...has slipped into a coma," his words burned into my brain.

"WHAT?!" I asked, the tears streaming down my face. Why were those I became close to always landing in harm's way?!

Loki hugged me gently, careful to not cause more pain.

"What...happened?" I asked, holding onto Loki's shirt.

"He was wounded very badly, and has several concussions. He is in very grave condition," Loki explained.

"Does she wake?" Thor asked, walking over to us. Loki sighed, and with a quick roll of his eyes, wearily replied "Yes, Thor." Not once did his gaze leave mine, even with the eyeroll. The man had skills, I had to admit.

"I...I need to see Tony," I choked out.

"They took him back to STARK tower," Bruce said. "Pepper insisted."

"And where's Fury?" I asked, bitter hatred creeping into my voice.

"They also took him back to the tower."

"Well, we're going to the tower now," I said. They nodded. Loki picked me up, and carried me to the Quinjet. The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep, was curling up on Loki's lap.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The most damaged people are always the wisest.  
_POV Lady Astrid_**

"Astrid?" Loki asked, entering the room.  
"He hasn't even moved," I said, fighting the tears. It pained me so to see Tony like that, just laying there.

"Hows Pepper taking it?" I finally asked, getting up.  
"Not well. Lady Romanov has been consoling her," he told me, as we walked over to the elevator. When we got in, I punched the button for the 6th floor. "What is on the 6th floor?" Loki asked.

"They're interrogating Nick Fury on that floor," I said.

"Oh, Astrid please, don't do this," he pleaded.  
"Loki, I've made up my mind."

Getting off the elevator, I easily found the interrogation room. Storming in, I punched Fury in the face.

"OWW!" he yelled in pain. "That's for Tony!" I snarled.

"Really?" I heard Clint ask Loki.

"I couldn't stop her," he said; I could hear the shrug in his voice. I smirked, and aimed another punch at Nick Fury.

"What the hell was THAT one for?!" he asked. I grabbed his shirt collar, and pulled his face closer to mine.

"For everything else," I growled, and let go. I noticed his eyes seemed strangely glazed over, but as I had other things occupying me at the moment, I ignored it. Smiling, Loki & I walked out of the room.

"Feel better?" Loki asked me.

"Much," I said, still smiling.

We headed back downstairs to see Dr. Banner and Tony. "How is he?" I asked the bespectacled geneticist.

"He's actually doing well at the moment," he replied with some relief. Loki was just outside of the room, talking to Thor. I sighed, and sat down on the couch next to Tony's bed. Bruce went into full Doctor mode: clipboard, stethoscope, and white coat. I smiled, and decided to move into the next room to see Loki.

"How is the patient?" Loki asked.

"Tony seems good," I said, hugging him.

It was quiet for a good few minutes. But it was a calm quiet; one that we hadn't had in a while.

I looked up at him and smiled. I quickly leaned in to kiss him, and he didn't protest. Instead, he gently kissed me back. I stood on my toes, and wrapped my arms around his neck, as he wrapped his long arms around my waist.

"By the Nine, Brother - W-What?" Thor stuttered as he reentered the room and saw us.

I broke the kiss, and pulled Loki's cape in front of my face as the flush of blood filled my cheeks.

"Brother? Astrid?" Thor said with a teasing edge to his voice, having quickly recovered his good humor.

"Hello, Thor," I said, my voice cracking the way it always did when I was flustered.

"Thor," Loki said, almost as flustered as I, but he hid it very well.

"I am sorry, Brother, but I just remembered that Lady Romanov wanted to speak with Astrid and I. See you later, Thor!" Loki said, as he pulled me along with him out of the room. "You're welcome," he said, with a love chuckle. "Oh, thank you so much! I was about to die of embarrassment!" I laughed. We turned into the next hallway, and came to a stop, leaning on each other as our laughter died down. We stared at each other for a long moment...and I again leaned in towards Loki, intending to kiss him.

"This way, Pepper, " I heard Nat say, as she led Pepper to see Tony. I could tell she'd seen us by her abrupt change of pace and direction. "OK, NOT this way - THAT way!" Natasha said, grabbing Pepper's arm and pulling her down a different hallway. "What the...?" Pepper asked. "I have no idea," Nat said, her voice getting softer as she got further away.

I couldn't help it. I started to laugh again, and so did Loki. "That was really funny!" I chuckled.

"I think it would have been funnier if we had seen their faces!" he answered. I responded by miming a shocked face, the same I imagined we would've glimpsed on Nat, had she not done an abrupt about-face in the hall. Loki fell against the wall, shaking with barely-contained mirth. I heard shoes coming down the hall, but the sound was muted by my snorts of laughter.

"OK, what the HELL is going on?!" Nat demanded, hands on hips, feet firmly planted right in front of Loki & I. We froze, and stared at her.

"Umm...," I started.

"Well. Err..." Loki tried.

"I was just walking Pepper down to see Tony, when I see you two, kissing IN THE HALLWAY!" She said, throwing her hands in the hair in frustration.

"Yeah...umm," I said, furiously blushing again.

Nat shrewdly looked from Loki, to me, and back again. "I really don't want to know, do I?" she asked.

"Not really, no," Loki and I managed, simultaneously.

"Fine by me," she said, turning around, and that seemingly settled - in her mind, anyway - walked back down the hall from whence she'd come.

"Guys!" Steve called and ran down the hall towards us.

"Yes?"

"We got Fury to talk! We decided it'd be best if we had everyone together now," he excitedly explained. I helped Loki smooth his coat, and we both ran with Steve upstairs to the boardroom. When we arrived we saw that Thor looked worried, which was unusual for him, and therefore made me very nervous.

"What has he told you?" I asked Steve. He looked pained, and said, "We didn't understand it, so we thought perhaps one of you might."

"And?" Demanded Loki.

"Fury said that he was working for 'The Other'. That mean ANYthing to you guys?" he asked, scanning our faces for a hint of recognition.

Loki and I stared at each other, fear paralyzing us.

"IS FURY INSANE?!" I shrieked, not able to control my reaction as a Lady should. Loki rested his hand on my shoulder, reassuring me with his touch.

"The Other is the definition of evil!" Loki spit out, looking as though the words both tasted bad, and actually pained him to utter. I suddenly knew - without a doubt - that The Other was responsible for much of Loki's recent pain and suffering. From the look on Thor's face, he had suprisingly come to the same conclusion. A look passed between the two of us, agreeing to discuss this privately, later. Thor turned to Loki. "Why would Fury be working The Other? Is not Fury the architect behind The Avengers?" Thor asked.

"That, we don't know just yet," Steve said, sounding a little scared now. I held Loki's hand tight.

"I think the Other wants Loki," I said, my voice shaking.

"Why would It want Loki?" Dr. Banner asked, confused. By the looks that went around the room, he wasn't the only one.

"Because, I did not finish my job here on Midgard," Loki answered for me in a grim tone. I looked at him reassuringly.

"We must go to Asgard, and tell Father!" Thor said.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" We all asked together.

"So I am led to believe, of late," Thor chuckled.

"I suppose we could give it a try," said Loki.

"I am half Asgardian, like Loki, so Odin would bear to have me there," I added, and Loki nodded.

"But, what about the rest of us?" Natasha asked.

"Oh, I'm sure we could come to an - agreement - on the rest of the Merry Band," I said, allowing a small smile.

"Well. I guess we're going to Asgard, then," Steve said.

"Wait - what about Tony? What if he wakes up while we're gone?" I pointed out.

"The Lady is right. We should take him with us," Dr. Banner said, standing up & removing his glasses to absent-mindedly polish...for the hundredth time since the meeting had started.

"Wait, what?!" Steve asked.

"Captain, I know you and Tony aren't on the best of terms, but this is a matter of safety," Dr. Banner reasoned. Rogers sighed, and nodded curtly.

"I guess that just leaves the HOW. As in, HOW do we get to Asgard? I don't think the crosstown bus has added that stop yet," Nat asked in a sarcastic tone. Loki, Thor and I simply smiled at each other.

"Heimdall," we said.

"Who?" everyone else asked.

"The Gatekeeper of The Nine Realms," I explained. Loki smirked, held his hand out, and his scepter flew directly into his grip. Almost as fast, an arrow appeared in The Hawk's bow, ready to be loosed - and it was aimed directly at Loki's throat. The Assassin looked as though someone had just stomped on his puppy, and he was ready to render his justice. One thing that has never been said of Loki is that he is slow to grasp an idea; so it was that he noticed Hawk's discomfort and battle stance immediately. Loki deliberately caught Barton's eye, held it, and said, "While there may be better places for an apology, Agent Barton, there will never be a better time. I, Loki, Prince of Asgard and Jotunheim, do apologize for my thoughtless and cruel treatement of you at our first meeting," he paused, and after a thought, continued. "I will never harm you or yours again, I swear on all you hold sacred."

The Avengers held their breath as one.

After a moment that seemed an eternity, Clint nodded, and sheathed his arrow. I noticed Loki had held his breath as well, and he let it out in a small puff.

"Ah, Where'd that come from?" Nat asked, gesturing to the Scepter.

Loki laughed, and pulled me over to him. I knew what he was about to do, so I held on to him tightly, and squeezed my eyes shut. Loki pounded the scepter on the ground, and the boardroom immediately disappeared from around us. It got very cold and I started to shiver; when I felt it warm up again, I relaxed my grip and opened my eyes on the Glory that was Asgard's Rainbow Bridge. In spite of the grimness of the situation, I smiled.

"Hello, Heimdall," Loki said, with genuine warmth in his voice.

"Hi Heimdall," I said over my shoulder. My back was to the Gatekeeper, as I was facing Loki when we were transported from Stark Tower. Heimdall raised a golden eyebrow at me, and looked confused.

"Lady Astrid...I did not expect to see you here," he said.

I chuckled a little. "Believe me, it was not in my plans either, Gatekeeper. I -"

"Oh Lord, I think I'm gonna be sick!" Steve said in a strained voice. Loki and I turned around, and saw the rest of the team show up behind us.

"If you keep your eyes closed for a minute it helps," Dr. Banner chuckled. He had Tony slung over his back in a fireman's carry, but it seemed for a moment that he might need to do the same for Captain America. This time, I succeeded in keeping the inappropriate smirk OFF of my face.

After we took care of Steve, we started to walk to the palace.

"I am not ashamed to say that I am not looking forward to this," Loki said uneasily.

"Neither am I," I replied.

Thor carried himself with pride and ease as we walked into the throne room.

"We wish to see Odin All-Father," Thor announced to the guards. One scurried through the ornate double doors to announce our party. He almost twisted his head off looking back over his shoulder at the "Traitor Prince", as I'd heard Loki called in whispers along the hallway.

"Is he a nice guy?" Nat whispered.

"To a degree," Loki whispered back.

The doors swung open, and we walked in. Thor greeted his Father first, and introduced the rest of our group.

"Hello, All-Father," Loki said, hiding the unease in his voice.

"Loki," His Father greeted him, and smiled. I hid myself mostly behind Loki, my heart pounding nearly out of my chest. "And, who is behind you, Loki?" Odin asked with a small smile.

I took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind Loki.

"Greetings, All-father," I said, curtsying deeply. Odin nodded, and his wife Freya leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"What is your name, Lady?" he asked, though his face said he knew the answer - just didn't fully believe it.

"Astrid Svensdottir, All-father" I told him.

"Indeed, you are. You may rise, Lady Astrid, and be welcome back to Asgard," he said, a surprised smile on his face. Freya just beamed. I smiled quickly at my father figure, rose and went back behind Loki. He held my hand tightly, and drew me out, to stand next to him, rather than behind him. Right at this moment, I was very glad that Loki couldn't read my mind. There were so many things going through my head right now, but I knew that sorting the thoughts could wait till later. Odin wanted to speak with Thor and Loki alone, regarding their stunning news about The Other.

Loki told me that he would find me after his council with his father. I uneasily parted with him, and was shown to my room.

It was beautiful. ```````````

The bed was huge, and the curtains were linen, and had beautiful, elaborate designs on them. I sighed heavily and flopped down on my bed. I moaned, as it was even softer than it looked.

I started to think about how I felt. I was very confused, and I could tell that Loki was, too. He was my best friend, but I also had different feelings for him. I had started to remember more about my life with Loki before; now I was getting another memory.

"Loki, please...do you have to do this?" I had asked him, a pleading tone to my voice. He had hugged me close and looked at me with a sad look on his face.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Astrid. I promise you, I will be back." he told me, and kissed me. My feelings in the memory were not shocked, they were just happy. The idea that came to my mind at that moment, was that Loki and I - were actually...together. Once Loki had left the memory, it all went black, and a new memory began.

I felt happy in this memory, too. I was sitting in the dining hall, speaking with Sif.

"My Lady Astrid!" a servant called, running through the hall.

"Helga? Helga, what is wrong?" I asked, running to meet her. She looked at me, a sorry look to her face.

"No," I said, stumbling backwards. "What happened?" I asked.

"He fell into space...I am so sorry," she said, tears running down her face. I nodded, and started towards the gates.

"W-where are you going, My Lady?" Helga asked, becoming worried for me.

"Dear Helga, you will not see me again," I said, grimly, and kept walking.

I had gotten to the edge of the bridge...and jumped. It all went black again...but then the light came back.

"WHAT IN THE NINE REALMS?!"

"Ah, good, I see you're up," The next memory started, but finished just then.

I gasped. That was the day I had woken up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Astrid?" Nat asked, knocking on my door.

"Come on in, Nat!" I said, shaking my head, trying to clear it.

She came in, wearing a new dress.

"Nice!" I said.

"Really?" she asked, chuckling a bit.

"Yes, you really look nice!" I said.

"Oh, thanks! Now, lets see you," she said, sitting down on my couch.

I sighed, and got up, spinning to give the full effect of the dress. It was white and floor length, with long sleeves that ended in a point, with a loop that went around my index finger.

As I say, it was white, and just for my amusement, had snowflake designs on it. And, I had a white crystal headpiece, placed on top of my spiky hair.

"You look beautiful!" she said, smiling.

"Yes, you do," Loki said, leaning up against the door frame, smiling.

I sighed, and all of the stress left my body. I knew I had to talk to him about my memory...but I didn't really know how.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Natasha smiled, quickly leaving the room. Loki walked in, closing the door after him.

"How did the council go?" I asked, sitting down on the couch with him.

"It went well. Thor and the Guard are going out in the morning to try and locate The Other," Loki informed me. I nodded, understanding the urgency of the matter.

"Now, there is something I need to tell you...", I said, trailing off.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I remembered something while you were gone," I said, and touched my fingers to his temples. I saw the memories flash before his eyes, as well as mine. He nodded when the memory was over. He held my face in his hands, and kissed me - but, this time, it felt different. I tingled all over, and all of my hair stood on end. Every inch of my body felt warm. I finally realized that I did truly love Loki.

He slowly pulled away and stared at me.

"How did that feel?" he asked.

"Amazing," I said with a silly chuckle.

He smiled.

"How did it feel to you?" I asked.

"Too amazing for words," he said, chuckling as well.

I smiled wide, and hugged him.

"I love you," I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I love you ,too," he said, and he smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**** I'm in love with my best friend. What else is new?**  
_**POV Lady Astrid**_

"How long have you been standing here?" Natasha asked.

"At least a half an hour," Thor answered.

"So, do we just stand here in the doorway, or...?" Clint asked.

"I have no idea whatsoever," Dr. Banner replied. I kept still, feeding the illusion that I was sleeping.

"Have they moved?" Nat asked again.

"Not at all," Thor said.

I chuckled in my head. '_I could have some fun with this,_' I thought. I yawned, and begain to stretch, as if I were getting up.

"Oh, crap," Clint muttered, frantically looking to get OUT of our doorway. Loki caught on quickly, and began to stir, as well. We heard hurried footsteps running all over the place. I allowed the smile to reach my face, stopped stretching, and lay back down, snuggling closer to Loki.

"Wow, that was close - I thought she was waking up, " Clint said, laughing softly to the other Avengers.

"Three...two...one..." Loki and I thought to each other.

"Hello!" I said, springing upright in bed, eyes wide and focused on my mortal compatriots.

"HOLY CRAP!" Clint said, stumbling backwards, and falling over Thor - a good shot he may be, but graceful, he was not. I cracked up. "Good one!" Loki said, sitting up and giving me a high five.

"Not. Funny!"

"Actually, it really was!" I chuckled, as did Loki.

Natasha walked in, and sat down at the end of the bed. "Answers!" She said sternly. "Answer what?" I asked, puzzled.

"Loki, I must speak with you." Thor said, grabbing Loki and pulling him not only out of bed, but out of the room, and closing the door.

"Ah, where is Prince Blondie taking him?" I asked.

"Just into the hall," she laughed, making a mental note to remember what I'd called Thor. "OK, tell me, now!" she said.

"Tell you what?!" I asked.

"About us coming in here, and seeing you two, sleeping together!" Nat said, throwing her hands in the air.

"Ah, Well. We were tired, so we got into the bed, and went to sleep. How complicated is that?" I asked, kind of confused. "Oh..okay," she said, seeming a bit let down. She thought a moment, and perked up again - I wondered why all the questions, suddenly. "Now. What happened when I left the room last night?" she asked. I sighed awkwardly.

"You really want to know?" I asked, unable to look her in the eye.

"Yes! tell me!" she demanded, eyes sparkling with excitement. I sighed again, and touched my fingers to her temples, as I did with Loki. She started to smile, and then looked shocked...and smiled again.

"Why the shocked look?" I asked, imitating the face she'd just made.

"Well, because...when you two kissed - I felt how you felt," she said. My eyes widened, and I blushed.

"You weren't supposed to feel that," I said, my voice cracking again.

"You love him?" she asked, smiling again.

"Yes. Yes, more than anything in the world," I said, smiling again. I got up, picking up the skirt of my nightgown as I walked so I wouldn't trip on it.

"What are you doing?" she asked, following me.

"Listening in on Thor and Loki, of course," I chuckled, and pressed my ear up against the door.

"Do you love her, my Brother?" Thor asked.

"I - Yes. She means everything to me," Loki said, in the same tone I had when I spoke of my feelings for him. "...and I am not your brother," he grumbled. I laughed.

"I am happy for you, Brother!" Thor said, and grabbed Loki close in a bear hug.

"I...am...not...your...brother!" Loki managed to say, under Thor's strength. "I'd better go save Loki from being accidentally crushed," I chuckled, and opened the door.

"Thor, I think you're crushing him," I said, grabbing Loki's sleeve, and placing my hand on Thor's shoulder.

"Oh, I am sorry, My Lady," Thor laughed, and let Loki go. He immediately started gasping, and the color returned to his face. "Oww..." he groaned. "You alright?" I chuckled.

He stared at me, smiling. "Leave," I mouthed to Nat. She smiled, and dragged Thor out of the hall. Loki sighed happily, and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he held my waist tight.

"Hey, guys?" Steve called, running down the hall. I broke the kiss, and glared at Steve. "Go," I mouthed to him. I hoped my face showed how serious I was - as long as Asgard wasn't under attack, I wanted some privacy Here, and Now. He stopped mid-stride, and started to walk backwards down the hall. I laughed, and stepped out of Loki's grasp. He looked confused.

"I have to go get dressed for the day," I said by way of explanation, chuckled, and walked back into my room, closing the door after me. I pulled out leggings and a silver tunic, and I made a point of putting my headpiece on. Once I slipped on my boots, I opened the door to see Loki standing right where I had left him, but now out of his night clothes, and into his day wear. I looked him up and down, and saw he had his battle helm under one arm.

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"Give me that helm," I said, holding my hands out.

"Alright," he said, handing it over slowly. I took it, and placed it on his head. I smiled.

"Okay, **now** I can take you seriously," I chuckled.

He laughed, took my hand, and we walked down the hall.

As we moved through the hallway, we saw Clint and Natasha. Loki stopped, and turned to them.

"Agent Barton, Lady Romanov. May I speak to you both in private?" Loki asked formally. Barton froze with fear, one hand gripping his bow so hard that his knuckles turned white. "It's okay, Hawk," Nat reassured him. "We're in Asgard, we've been promised safety. Remember, we're not at war anymore." Barton forced a few calming breaths, and nodded to the agent at his side. Nat looked in his eyes for another few moments, and apparently satisfied with what she saw there, turned back to Loki & I.

"Yes, you may," she said to Loki. He smiled, and turned to me. "Go ahead down to the throne room, and I will find you when I'm done," he told me. I nodded, kissed his cheek, and walked down the hallway. The Throne room, then? It was as good a place as any to wait for the events of the day.

…

_**POV Loki**_

I watched Astrid walk down the hall, her figure shrinking as she got further away. When she was gone, I turned to the Lady Romanov and Agent Barton.

"Agent Barton, I would like to fully apologize for...for what I did to you. There are no words to express the depth of my shame, and my remorse at what happened. My hope is that some time you may forgive me," I told him.

He paused, contemplating my words.

"You really mean that?" he asked.

"Every word," I said.

Another pause. Then, "I'll think about it." he told me.

I smiled, and inclined my head in thanks. "Thank you," I said, and started back down the hall. As I approached the Throne room, the guards snapped to attention. "I wish to see my Father," I told them. They nodded, and let me in. "Prince Loki, I have a message for you," said one of the guards as they opened the doors. "Deliver it, then," I said. He leaned and whispered into my ear, and I nodded to indicate I understood. First, I had a question for the All-Father. Then, I could act on this new information. Astrid quickly caught my eye.

"Where is Thor?" I asked Odin.

"He has gone to locate The Other," he told me. "You will be informed when we have any news, my Son. "  
I nodded, and walked to Astrid.

"I have a surprise for you," I told her.

"Whaat?" she asked, trepidation in her voice. I laughed, and tucked her hand in the crook of my arm.

"Come on; I promise you'll keep your eyebrows this time," I laughed, and we walked down to the infirmary. At the door, we paused, and I knocked.

"Dr. Banner?" I asked.

"Come on in, you two," he said. Astrid looked at me with a question in her eyes. "Trust me," I mouthed to her.

I turned in the doorway, but stopped right before she could follow me in. Astrid's eyebrows went up even further, and now slight frustration was writ upon her brow. I quickly and deliberately kissed her, and waited for the reactions from the other room. I was not disappointed.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Anthony yelled. Astrid pulled away, and leaned around me.

"TONY?!" she yelled, and ran into the other room, where she found Tony Stark sitting up on his bed. He looked worn, but well. Astrid threw herself at him for a hug, and elicited a quiet "oomph" from the Man of Iron. My dear Princess did not know her own strength, it seemed. I smiled, and leaned up against the door frame.

"Astrid - can't - breathe - " "By the Nine, Tony, I'm sorry!" With that, Astrid quickly let go of Tony, and I was amused to see him gasp a bit. She gave him a gentler hug, and I thought I heard him mutter, "Easy does it, She-Ra - it's not like I just woke up from a coma, or something...".

He did a double-take then, looking from Astrid, to me, to Astrid again - and her cheeks started to color. "What the HELL is up with you and Prince Frostie?" he asked. "Did I just see...?"

"Ahh, well...it's kind of a long story," she started, the blood staining her cheeks.

He looked at me, and cocked a finely trimmed eyebrow.

"She's right. A very long story," I chuckled, walking into the room, putting my arm possessively around Astrid's shoulders, and smiling at Tony.

**_POV Lady Astrid_**

"This is amazing! When did he wake?" I asked Loki, while Dr. Banner continued to check Tony out for any complications from his injuries. "Early this morning," Loki answered. I saw Tony motion for us to come back in when Dr. Banner had gone. I grabbed Loki's hand, and re-entered the room.

"Now: What happened with you two while I was out?" Tony asked, folding his arms and leveling his best Iron Man gaze at Loki and I.

I blushed.

"OK...I have this...gift, that allows me show people my memories and experience my feelings. So, because what is between Loki and I is difficult to explain, I'm going to show you." I told him. He looked a bit nervous, but nodded assent. I sighed, and put my fingers to his temples. His eyelids lowered, and he got sort of a blank look as he took in what I was "showing" him. When I was done, his eyes snapped open, and his expression was shocked. I couldn't look him in the eyes, I was too embarrassed. I realized in a split second that I had just shown - and shared with him - every. single. kiss. that I had with Loki.

"How does he look?" I asked Loki.  
"Shocked," he chuckled. "Someday, you'll have to tell me how you did that - It could turn out to be useful."

"Ohhh..." Tony said slowly, realization dawning and with it, a slight blush of his own.

"Indeed..." I said, hiding my face in Loki's shoulder. I forced an awkward chuckle.

"Well, then - we will let you rest and, umm...yeah," I said, cracking voice and all. I quickly dragged Loki out of the room, my cheeks burning up. "By the Sword of Freyr," I mouthed after we'd left the room. Loki nodded, and looked every bit embarrassed as I was, but still, he hid it well.

"LOKI! ASTRID! COME QUICK!" Natasha yelled, her voice terrified. Loki and I exchanged worried looks, and followed her voice down the hallway.

"Just keep breathing, please!" Nat pleaded as we got closer. My heart started beating out of my chest. As we rounded the corner, I felt sick. The smell of blood hit me as soon as we reached the doorway wherein we found Natasha. Understand, the Aesir are sensitive to energy...and the energy in this room was suddenly overwhelming. I gasped, suddenly finding it hard to draw breath.

Thor was laying in the middle of the floor, in a puddle of his own blood.

"THOR!" Loki and I both yelled, running to him. "Please, please don't die." I begged, close to tears.

He laughed, but just barely He, too, was struggling to breathe.

"Thor, please stay with us!" Loki pleaded with his Brother.

"DR. BANNER!" I called, the tears threatening to come. I turned back to Thor, his face tired, and stricken with pain.

"I'm going to get Bruce," I told Loki. "Hurry," he said, close to tears himself. "If Hel comes for him, I cannot deny her - "  
"Pray it does not come to that," I snapped, and ran.

My hands and front of my body were covered in Thor's blood, and as I ran, I left bloody footprints in my wake.

"DR. BANNER!" I yelled again, feeling frantic, as I reached the door to the infirmary. He looked shocked and scared when he saw me. "Whats wrong?" he asked. "What is all this blood from? Are you hurt?"

"It's Thor's - Please, come! Please!" I begged, the tears streaming down my face, washing trails in the crusted blood on my cheeks.

"What the hell happened to him?!" Tony asked, getting up, while Bruce quickly got his medical bag.

"We don't know yet," I choked out. "Come on," I said, when Dr. Banner was ready. We ran to the chamber where Loki was still holding his Brother's weak, bloodied hand.

"Good thing you're here, Doc," Clint said, taking his hand off of one of Thor's wounds, and letting the doctor take over.

"GAH!" Loki screamed, grabbing his abdomen, and fell over.

"LOKI!" I yelled, and caught him before he could hit the ground; he had a deep wound in his side. "No, no, NO!" I cried, gritting my teeth.

"Astrid, let me-"

"YOU TAKE CARE OF THOR, I have Loki!" I yelled, and the room went silent. Loki managed a slight laugh. Dr. Banner swallowed hard, nodded, and turned back to Thor. I had a memory pricking at me - and thought to try it, since I could NOT lose Loki. I put both of my hands on Loki's wound, and concentrated.

"Astrid, no," Loki coughed.

"You'll die if I don't do this. You'd do the same for me," I said to him.

I felt my energy flow into Loki - healing him. It _**hurt**_, hurt like Tyr's Hand - but I gritted through the pain until it got too bad to handle. I couldn't finish the healing of Loki's wound, and I found I couldn't do anything, but scream.

"What's happening to her!?" Tony asked.

"She...she tried to heal me," Loki said, grunting through the pain.

"And, did it work?" Dr. Banner asked, amazed.

"Kind of...it still hurts very badly, but I will live," Loki said.

"How did she do that?" Tony asked.

"We all have the ability to heal with our own energy - but it causes great pain." Loki said, stroking my hair.

The pain was too much. I felt Loki's cool hand on my forehead as I passed out, and I knew no more.

I woke in my own bed. By the energy in the room, I could tell there were a few of people in here, and I felt the warmth of another body directly next to me. Sitting on the bed, relaxing but not sleeping. I felt for the person's energy, and I knew it was Loki. Anyone else would've woken me on approach, but not him. I smiled, and snuggled up next to him.

The events of the day ran through my mind, and though I sensed that things were safe now, I still had questions. After all, I had passed out in the excitement of the afternoon. "How is your side?" I asked Loki.

Everyone in the room sighed happily upon hearing my voice.

"Much better, thanks to you," he said, and kissed my cheek. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times.

"Now, how do **you** feel?" Dr. Banner asked. "This is becoming a habit with you, My Lady." His smile took the sting out of his rebuke. "Very tired," I chuckled, as Loki held my hand. Seeing Dr. Banner reminded me of something...Thor!

"THOR! How is he?!" I asked, sitting up quickly. "Calm down, Astrid," Loki cautioned me.

"He's resting in his chambers at the moment," Dr. Banner said, giving me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"What happened to him?" I asked, sitting up.

"The Other has a heretofore unknown ability to "pop" in and out of places without anyone knowing, which explains how it was able to stab Loki without us seeing. We are guessing that is what happened to Thor, as well," Bruce explained. Fear struck my very core as I realized that The Other had been right in front of us, and we hadn't known.

I nodded, and hugged Loki close.

"What are we doing about The Other, and this newly-discovered ability?" I asked, with a shaking voice.

"The All-Father has some of the best Mages working on shielding for the Palace," a new voice spoke up from the doorway. My head whipped around - could I believe my ears? If memory served, the owner of that Resounding voice was -

"Volstagg!" I demandingly stretched my hands out towards him, and he obligingly came to my bedside, his irrepressible laugh filling the room. He took my hands, and kissed me soundly, once on each cheek.

"My Lady," Volstagg smiled. "The All-Father set me to guard your chambers, as an additional deterrent to The Other's mischief. Why me?" he continued, in response to the questioning looks thrown his way. "Well, as our Prince Loki has yet to get the best of me, and NO-ONE spins mischief like he does, I was thought to be a "safe bet", as the dwellers of Midgard would say." Loki generously smiled at Volstagg, and I was glad to see that a calm respect existed between the two men - quite a change from the old days, my memory suggested.

"Avengers, may I introduce Volstagg The Valiant, The Voluminous, the Lion of Asgard?" Volstagg preened during his introduction, not an ounce of humility evident in his posture. How I adored him, though he could be 'valiant' to a fault. I smiled warmly at my new and old friends, and was pleased at the resolution of our horrible afternoon.

"Volstagg, meet Midgard's greatest champions, The Avengers: Tony Stark, Captain Steve Rogers, Dr. Bruce Banner, Lady Natasha Romanov, and The Hawkeye, Clint Barton," Loki indicated each of our friends in turn. Pleasantries exchanged, Volstagg continued his explanation of the plans against The Other. "Once Thor heals, he and and our best warriors will go out and resume their search for The Other,"  
"...although, I find myself wishing that he wouldn't," Loki sighed.

"He'll be okay," I reassured him. "May I assume he'll have Fandral, Hogun and Sif with him?" Volstagg nodded with a twinkle in his eye, and a small measure of wistfulness that he would not be accompanying his friends on this particular quest for death - ah, 'adventure', I corrected myself mentally.

Loki smiled down at me, and quickly kissed me.

"Well, I think that's our cue - we should leave you two, now," Dr. Banner said, chuckling. He made shooing motions to the other Avengers, and Volstagg ushered everyone out of our room, quietly closing the door upon their exit.

"I...I was really afraid I was going lose you," I said to Loki, resting my head on his shoulder.

"And I, you. But, you saved me," he told me. "In spite of the pain - and it looked to be considerable."

I smiled at him.

"It really hurt...really, really." I chuckled. Loki pulled one side of his shirt up, revealing his wound. It looked red and sore. I gasped in pain for him, but he placed his finger on my lips - "It would have been much worse if you hadn't helped, " Loki reassured me.

"I still didn't heal it all the way,"

"Astrid, you would have killed yourself if you had kept healing me. I would rather deal with the pain, than lose you." he told me.

"Same here," I said, and hugged him again. "Besides," added Loki, "We had to give your Dr. Banner SOMEthing to do, so he could feel useful while on Asgard." We smiled together.

"I love you," he softly said, lips against my hair.

"I love you, too," I answered with a smile.

"Prince Loki? Princess Astrid?" a servant called from the doorway.

"PRINCESS!?" Loki and I repeated.

"Ahh, yes. Mister Stark wishes to see you," she said.

"Thank you, Helga," I said through gritted teeth. As Loki was helping me up, he and I thought back to what Helga had just called me.

"Not that I'm complaining, but WHO told everyone to call me 'Princess' Astrid?" I asked.

"I am not quite sure," he said, thinking hard. After a few moments, we locked eyes -

"Thor."

I hoped he recovered, because I was going to KILL him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six**  
**_POV Princess Astrid_**

**'Can we just relax for once? That would be nice. '**

* * *

I woke up with my blankets pulled up to my to my neck. I stretched, and sat up. "Princess Astrid," I repeated, as I had done all night.

"Still trying to make it work, huh?" Loki chuckled.

"Yeah...I think I like it."

"So do I," he said, and kissed my cheek. I smiled smugly. "I'm the luckiest person in the world," I chuckled, and Loki laughed.

"Hey, you awake?" Nat asked, sticking her head in the door.

"Yep," I said, waving her in. She smiled and entered, coming to sit at the foot of my bed. She studied my face, then looked to Loki, and back to me. "What!?" she asked, seeing the looks on our faces. "Simply what everyone else has been saying - that you and Clint would be REALLY cute together," I said, and Loki nodded in amused agreement. Nat blushed a hot pink, and it occurred to me how that was a sight that not many on ANY planet had ever seen. The blush turned the asassin's face from fierce to gentle; I sequestered that knowledge away for future consideration.

"We - NO! No. Clint and I...NO!" she stuttered. Loki and I smiled at each other, and turned back to the flustered Black Widow. "Yes, in fact; YES to "Clint and you", I said, while Loki nodded. She blushed even more, and I hadn't thought that was even possible.

I sighed, and got up. I walked over to my closet, and began to get my clothes out for the day. The light blue dress with silver trim, hem brushing the floor, I decided. Taking the dress and matching headpiece, I stepped into my bathroom to change. "Be right back, " I said over my shoulder to Nat and Loki.  
Placing my headpiece on the counter, I splashed water on my face, brushed my hair, and then slipped the dress over my head. I reached over to grab my headpiece, but it wasn't where I'd left it. Hadn't I brought it in with me, I wondered? I sighed, and remembered who my companion was. Mischief, Himself. I shook my head, and with a wry smile, walked back out to the bedroom.

"Where is it?" I asked Loki, smirking, and holding out my hand. The God of Mischief smiled, and avoiding my hand, stepped close to me and placed the missing accessory on my head. "Thank you," I said, and leaned in to kiss him quickly.

"What time is it?" I asked Nat, as I got my shoes on.

"About 10 o'clock," she said. I thought for a moment; I was kind of hungry. "Did everyone else eat already?" I asked.

"Yep!" she chuckled.

"Good! We can snag the leftovers, then," I said, grabbing both Loki and Nat by the hand and running out the door and down the hall.

"I'll bet I could beat you to the dining hall," I challenged Loki. Punching him lightly in the arm, I let go of Nat's hand, and sprinted into a run. "Oh, really?!" he laughed, and started to run after me. "Whoa, Whoa, WHOA!" I yelped as I tripped, the point of his scepter tearing into the hem my dress. Loki used this momentary advantage to dash ahead of me, a self-satsified grin on his lean face. "Oh, come on!" I said between clenched teeth. Smirking, I decided to change my tactics. I reached down, touching the floor on the run, and was pleased to see it quickly freeze.

"Wow - WHOA!" Loki yelped, and fell down, sliding wildly out of control. I couldn't help myself, I started giggling. Grabbing my skirt with both hands, I willed a fine coating of ice onto the soles of my shoes, and bent my knees for maximum maneuverability. Sliding neatly in front of him, I laughed and glanced down at his startled countenance. "Hello," I laughed, and sped on by.

I heard Natasha's laughter coming in tiny snorts from behind us. I finally put some distance between Loki and I, but looking up, saw that the door to the dining hall was closed. I JUST had time to raise my arms in front of my face. "WOAH!" I yelled, crashing through the door, knocking it off its hinges. Before I could hit the table just inside the door, however, I tucked and rolled off of the ice, soundly hitting the wall. Loki was still speeding uncontrollably towards the table. Fun was fun, but we really didn't want to start off this visit to Asgard with wanton destruction of property. So, I reached out and grabbed his arm to pull him off of the ice track, onto my lap, and kissed him. We were both winded, and very happy.

"I win," I panted, and pushed him off. I stood up, and started to brush the frost off of my skirts, having already gotten rid of the ice on my shoes. I had used that trick before, I remembered, but never quite so successfully. Loki laughed as he stood, and pretending to reach out for balance, instead, pushed me over. I grabbed for him, and we went down in a giggling heap of limbs.

"How...do...you...guys...run...so...fast?" Nat asked, leaning up against the door frame, so she wouldn't fall over. She was in fantastic shape, for a mortal, but even the Black Widow was winded from trying to keep up with two AEsir.

Loki and I helped each other up, still laughing. "More AEsir gifts!" I said, shrugging smugly, and grabbing a roll from the table.

"Damn your stamina," Nat said, snagging a pear from the table and dropping gratefully into a chair. I grabbed a chair next to her, and started stuffing food in my mouth. Bread, Cheese, various Asgardian delicacies that brought back wonderful feelings and memories. Nat watched what I took, as not much was familiar to her; luckily, we liked a lot of the same things.

"Hey, guys. I was wonderi-" Clint started, but froze when he saw Nat and I eating with gusto. His eyebrows rose, and his step faltered. I looked up at him, and shrugged. "Hungry," I said, through a mouthfull of bread and cheese. "Yeah, I can see that," Clint laughed, and walked over to the table. "How many plates did they empty already?" he asked Loki.

"Two in four minutes," Loki chuckled, and continued to time Nat and I.

"Is something wrong?" I asked Clint when my mouth was empty. "Ah, not really. But I would like to mention the horse walking the halls," he said, pointing out the door, or what was left of it. My eyes widened, and I turned with a smirk to Loki, who suddently looked terrified. "How many legs does it have?" I asked, standing up, and leaning on the table.

"Er...eight, I think," Clint said, unsure why I was asking. "How can you 'think' something has eight legs?" Nat asked, raising her eyebrows.

"YES!" I shrieked, and ran towards the door, cackling like a madwoman. "No, no, no!" Loki pleaded, jumping up from the table and running after me. As soon as I had left the dininghall, I heard the eight hooves clip-clopping through the hall. "Astrid, please!" Loki begged. "Too late! You already admitted it!" I laughed, and snorted. He hid his face in his hands, and shook his head. "Why me?" I heard him mumble. We stood in the hall briefly, while I listened, and got my bearings. I whipped my head around, looking for Sleipnir. "Aha!" I said, when I saw the unmistakable shadow across the hall. Loki sighed, and walked back into the dining hall still moaning, "why me?"

I heard the horse neigh, and saw him walk around the corner, into the hallway where I stood.

He was huge.

6' tall, eight legs, and a long mane, like fire. Upon seeing me, His golden eyes lit up, and he trotted eagerly over to me, whickering excitedly. It had been a long time, and I realized I missed him - and he missed me! "Hello, my sweet boy," I said softly, and scritched behind his ear. He leaned into my touch, and his eyes closed slightly in pleasure. We stood still, just enjoying each other's presence, until I heard voices behind me. Nat had finished eating, and was noticing Loki's discomfort.

"Why are you acting like this?" Natasha asked Loki. "Well," I started to say - "DONT YOU DARE!" Loki yelled at me, poking his head back out of the door. I just shook my head and laughed. Turning back to my old friend, I touched my forehead to his. "You're beautiful," I said to Sleipnir.

I could have sworn he smiled.

I climbed onto his back, and tapped his neck slightly, to ask him to move forward. he whuffed, and obligingly walked forward into the dining hall. When he caught sight of Loki, his ears perked forward, and he quickened his pace. With eight legs, this meant we ended up on the other side of the room with two blinks of an eye. "Good boy," I said, kissed his mane, and slid off gracefully.

"You-"

"Don't," Loki said, putting a finger to my lips. I laughed. "Not even Thor knows, and I intend to keep it that way," he whispered to me. "Got it," I said, and kissed his cheek. I walked back over to the table, grabbed one of Idunn's Golden Apples, and held it high.

"Sleipnir!" I said, and whistled for his attention. His head snapped up. Smiling, I tossed the apple his way - he caught it, of course. "He's a beautiful horse," Nat said, stroking his mane while Sleipnir munched happily. As much as he loved the apple, he almost loved the attention he was currently getting more. "Yes. Yes, he is. When Loki and I were out walking in the valleys once, we found him as a colt, all alone, so we brought him back here. We could hardly leave him to the elements, so we raised him ourselves, " I twisted the truth skillfully. I well knew the truth of how he came here, but as long as Loki wanted me to, I would keep the secret.

"Subtle," Loki said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and just a little bit of admiration. "Thank you very much," I said, chuckling. "I had a good teacher."

"Hey, guys!" Tony greeted us as he enetered the hall.

"Hi, Tony!" I waved him over.

"What's with the horse?" he asked. "...Umm..." I stalled, slowly turning my head around towards Loki. "He's Astrid's," Loki chimed in, an evil smirk on his face. I glared at him in mock anger. "Oh, ha ha ha," I growled, and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yes, he is my horse. I just brought him out of the stables for a bit," I directed this to Tony, while eyeing Loki's expression. Loki winked, and gave me a thumbs up. "Okay...ooh, food!" Tony said, noticing the still heavily laden table. Attention distracted, he quickly found a seat, and hungrily dove in.

"Ow..." I heard Loki softly grunt. "Are you ok?" I asked, turning to face him. "Yes, it's just that running...might not have been the best idea for my wound," he chuckled, resting his hand there. "OH, I'm so sorry," I said, my smile fading a little. "It's alright, Astrid. It's not your fault," he reassured me. "No one forced me to race you to breakfast, no one but myself to blame." With a small smile, he gave me a gentle hug. My smile came back full blast.

"Hey, Astrid?" Tony called. "Yes, Tony?" I jogged over to him to see what he could possibly need. "What IS this?" he asked, holding up an oddly-shaped piece of fruit. "DONT EAT THAT," I yelped, and quickly swatted it out of his hand. Loki called for a server, and had a whispered conversation while Tony continued to stare at me, flabbergasted. "Why not?" he demanded. "Do You Want To DIE?!" I retorted, jamming my hands onto my hips.

"Oh. Oh! No, of course not!" Tony said, looking appalled. The server ghosted along the table with a platter, quickly removing any other items that could be harmful to our mortal guests. SOMEONE in the kitchen would answer for this, I would see to that later!

"What was that, though?" Tony's repeated question broke into my thoughts. "Something only Asgardians can eat. It's WAY too powerful for mortals," I explained. "I have no idea how it got on the table, as a matter of fact. Do not be concerned about anything else, though - I see Loki has had the staff remove anything questionable while we've been talking,". I had to hand it to him, Tony didn't stay freaked out for long. "ohhh. Okay," Tony said, grabbing a large piece of cheese and taking a large bite. I smiled, and shook my head. We saw that the fruit rolled in front of Sleipnir, and he quickly reached down to eat it. "Can the Octo-Pony there eat the fruit?" Tony asked, pointing at Sleipnir. "Oh, yes, he's fine," I chuckled, grabbing a piece of sweet bread for myself.

I walked over to Loki, took his arm, and started to walk out of the room. "Octo-Pony?!" He demanded under his breath. I patted his arm soothingly, and whispered, "It's just Tony, Loki - his attempt at humor." "Hmph. Where are we going?" he asked. "For a walk," I said, resting my head on his shoulder as we went. It was quiet in the halls at this time of the late morning, and we soon found ourselves walking through the royal wing. A familiar figure smiled at us from up ahead. "Where are you two headed?" Thor asked, leaning up against the doorframe of his quarters. I sighed. "Why do you want to know?" I asked. "Because I am Loki's older Brother," he said, as thought that was the answer to EVERYthing. I shook my head. "Not good enough," I said, and we kept walking. The shock that replaced confidence on Thor's face was quite amusing, and I struggled to keep my face from showing it. "W-wait!" Thor called, not used to being ignored. I'd obviously been gone far too long - would have to do something about that, I decided with a small, private, grin. "Nope, sorry!" I said over my shoulder. Once we had passed out of that wing, Loki allowed his laughter to bubble out. "You handled that very well," he told me, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Thank you," I said smugly.

We heard footsteps approaching, and I saw Loki's ears perk up slightly. A short maiden, maybe a little taller than me, with a very slight build, was walking down the opposite side of the hallway. Her hair was so blonde it looked white, and was in a long braid down her back that reached her knees. Her arms were full of books, and her golden eyes took in their covers. Her dress was long and white, and she kept stumbling over it. Probably because she was only looking at her books, not where she was going. Upon hearing our footsteps, however, she looked up, startled out of her musings. When she caught sight of Loki, her pale cheeks turned red, and she quickly looked down again. To my suprise, Loki did the same, also picking up his - our - pace.

"Sooo...How do you know Sigyn?" I asked, trying not to let my curiosity show in my voice. I knew her, of course, but couldn't remember anything that would clue me in to this puzzling reaction to her, from Loki. She was a powerful Mage, and occasionally helped Eir, Asgard's head healer. After a careful pause, Loki took a steadying breath.

"...we were together very briefly." He muttered.

I smirked. "You and Sigyn?!" I laughed softly. I didn't feel threatened; of course, if she tried to make a move on him now, I'd hurt her very badly, and she probably wouldn't be able to walk for a few months, but otherwise, I was quite amused by this new knowledge. "Yes. And don't sound so surprised," Loki rolled his eyes, and let out an annoyed breath. I chuckled, stood on my toes, and kissed his cheek. As we walked, I thought a lot about my life in the palace, before everything got - complicated. Passing the corridor to the throne room, I paused.

"Is everything alright?" Loki asked me. "Yes, I just - we need to stop in the throne room," I said, changing our direction. The guards snapped to attention, still looking shocked to see me. I had heard my name being whispered along the halls, as "the dead Lady". I didn't blame them. I thought I had been dead, too.

"I wish to see Queen Frigga," I said, using my formal tone, the one meant to strike fear into the listener. The guards quickly moved to let us in, and taking a deep breath, I looked at Loki. "She needs to see you, too, " he told me. I nodded, and walked in, my eyes searching for her. I found her, there, on the dias. She was relaxing on her throne, holding a slim book in her hand, but not seeming to pay much attention to it.

"Mother Frigga?" I asked, voice now timid. Her head snapped up, eyes widened, and I saw the tears starting to come. "Astrid!" she said, standing, and rushing to me, arms outstretched. I smiled. I missed my Mother figure SO much! She held my shoulders, taking in the very small differences in me. I looked maybe a year older, and my hair had surely grown. Frigga sighed happily, glancing to Loki, who nodded. They were having a conversation I couldn't hear.

I was brought up in the palace, and raised like one of Odin and Frigga's children. When Thor and I would fight, he would always end the fight with, "Yes, sister". Though Odin, nor Frigga ever called me 'Daughter', they always made a point of making sure I knew that I was loved.

Frigga embraced me in a hug that would have broken my back, if I hadn't prepared myself for it. I heard her begin to cry, and I felt her tears on my shoulder. "Everyone believed you were dead; But I never lost hope," she said, dashing the tears away with the back of her hand. I sighed happily.

"I had only seen you, Loki and Thor coming. I had not seen your group of Mortals. Thank You so much, Astrid, for making a special visit to see me, while you & my son are - well, getting to know each other again, shall we say?" There was a definate twinkle in Mother Frigga's eyes, and it both warmed my heart, and lightened my soul. I KNEW she could see how I felt for Loki, and the funny part was, Loki knew it, too - and for once, he acted as though he didn't WANT the extra attenion. "Loki?" Mother Frigga spoke again - "We shall talk privately, you & I, before you return to Midgard again. Yes, my Son?"

"Yes, well," Loki said, seeing my flustered expression, rubbing my shoulders, and backing slowly out of the room. "We shall talk later, Mother, indeed."

Turning around, we found ourselves near the main entrance to the Valholl, and made our way towards the gate.

"And where are you two going?" Sif asked, stepping out from behind a pillar. "Why does everyone want to know that?" I asked, throwing my hands up in frustration. Loki smirked, and turned to Sif. "Out for a walk," he said. "Alone!" I added sternly, as the rest of Thor's cadre of friends appeared behind Sif. "Aww..." they moaned, disappointed. I chuckled, grabbed Loki's hand, and continued to the gate.

We made it outside, and Loki pulled me off into the opposite direction from where I was originally headed. "Where are we going?" I asked. "you know quite well where, I believe." he said, staring into my eyes.

...Oh...

I _did_ know where. We were heading to the huge pear tree, in the valley. Our Valley. Only Loki and I knew where it was, and how to get there. It didn't take us long to get to the tree - I was slightly suprised I'd remembered the way. How long had it been, anyway?

Underneath, there was lots of shade, and it was just cool enough, in the hot mid-morning sun. When Loki sat down, I snuggled up next to him. "I've missed it here," I said, happily.

"So have I," he said.

We sat in silence, resting, and thinking. And just like that, I had another memory.

"Just admit it, we're lost!" I had chuckled.

"Will that make you happy?" Loki had asked, smirking. I smirked back at him, and considered the question, briefly. "Yes," I said.

"Then, yes. We are quite lost," he said, laughing. "We might die out here!" I said melodramatically, trying to catch up to him as he ran. He stopped abruptly, and whipped around to face me. I skidded to a halt, and stumbled into Loki's arms. "At least I would be with you," he said, lost in my eyes.

The sun burned my pale skin as we stood together for what seemed hours, but in reality was only minutes. "Can you walk?" Loki asked me. "No, I quite believe my feet have melted into my shoes," I laughed, and held onto his neck as he swept me up into his arms. "I see a tree over there," he said, and started to walk towards it.

"YES! OH, SHADE!" I yelled, jumping down from his arms, and ran to the tree. "I thought you said you couldn't walk?" he chuckled, following me slowly. I flopped down on the cool ground underneath the tree, and waited for him to join me. "That was until I got my second wind," I laughed, and sat back up. Loki sat next to me, and kissed me.  
************************************************** ***

Happily, the memory stopped.

"I love you." I said, breaking the silence. "Just in case you didn't already know," I said, smirking gently. Loki laughed. "I love you too, Astrid," he replied quietly, and leaning in, kissed my cheek.

Grinning, I reached up, and pulled a ripe pear neatly off its branch. I waved it under Loki's nose, and then quickly bit into it. "Ahem!" he said, glaring at me. "Get your own!" I said, through a mouth full of fruit. He snorted and did so, reaching right above his head with those long arms. "Showoff," I muttered. "Are they as good as I remember?" He asked me, studying his pear. The skin was a pale green, and glowed from within with a healthy radiance. "Even better." I managed to say, through a mouth full of juice.

He smiled and as he bit into it, juice squirted him right in the eye. My peals of laughter rang through the branches of our tree, and even Loki had to laugh at the ridiculous spectacle he presented at the moment. Times like these were a big part of why I loved my Dark Prince.

I looked out at the sky, from a gap In the branches, and watched the clouds march slowly along. "Can we stay here forever?" I asked, resting my head on his shoulder, and closing my eyes. "Yes," he said happily. Smiling, I opened my eyes to see Loki looking at me, complete bliss writ large on his face.

"I love you so very much, " I said, my voice almost a whisper.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me," he whispered, and wrapping his arms around my waist, kissed me.

…

(POV Prince Loki)

I leaned in and kissed her, her lips cold, but her cheeks very warm. I felt her hand on my cheek, and I smiled. Soon, I heard her start to laugh.

"What? What is so funny?" I asked, still smiling. "it's just...this moment is so perfect...and no one has ruined it yet," she snickered, the tiny freckles on her cheeks popping out. I laughed, and hugged her closer to my side. "You are right: This moment is perfect. Do you know why?" I asked her.

"why?" she asked with a smile.

"Because, you are here." I told her, kissing her head. She blushed. It was the cutest sight, I had ever seen.

"Thank you, Loki," she said to me, controlling the cracks in her voice.

I smiled, and leaned my head back, closing my eyes, and making sure my grip on Astrid's shoulder was secure, before we both drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven: It's snowing?! _What?!_**

"WOW!" Astrid yelped.

I awoke with a start.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, moving my hair out of my face.

"No-o-o-o...it's...it's snowing!" she chuckled, and pointed outside at the falling white puffs. I thought it had gotten extremely cold, and now there were tiny snowflakes falling on us, from the branches above.

"How long were we asleep?" I asked, standing up and offering her a hand.

"I don't know; maybe a few hours?" she said, unsure.

"We best be getting back then, before they start looking for us," I chuckled, and walked out from under the tree's branches. Astrid walked quickly out and took my hand. It was so cold, we could see our breath. Astrid chuckled, and started to play with the snow. I laughed, and kissed her head.

"THERE THEY ARE!" Tony yelled.

I looked up and saw Agent Romanov, Tony, and Agent Barton running towards us.

"aand it begins anew," Astrid chuckled.

(POV Princess Astrid)

"Why they get worried if we are out for a few hours alone, baffles me," Loki whispered to me, laughing slightly.

"Indeed," I chuckled.

"Where were you guys? When you didn't come back two hours ago, we started to get worried," Nat asked.

"Some things are for us to know, and not you," I said, smirking, and walked past them.

"Why does your breath smell like pears?" Tony asked, catching up to me.

"Pear tree," I said, gesturing over my shoulder.

"Ahhh, gotcha," he said.

"So, you were actually worried?" I asked, walking backwards so I could face Tony as we talked.

"Well, it was mostly Dr. Jolly Green Giant and Mrs. Odin," Tony chuckled.

"Also known as Bruce and Frigga?" I laughed.

"Hey, you call them what you like, I call them what I like," he said, waving his hands in a, "what can you do?" gesture. I smiled.

"So, how long has it been snowing?" I asked, catching more snowflakes in my hand.

"About an hour. Everyone was shocked, 'cause of how warm it was earlier," he said.

"Yeah...freak snow storms are kind of common here," I said, shrugging.

"Really!?" he asked.

"Different atmosphere, remember?" I said, pointing at the clouds.

"Oh...right," he said, staring up at the sky.  
"Do you miss Midga –- ahem, 'Earth'?" I corrected myself, knowing that Tony wouldn't understand if I had said Midgard.

"I actually didn't think I would say this, but...no, I don't. I really like it here," Tony admitted, smiling a bit. My tiny smile turned into a full-blown grin.

While I was still walking backwards, I glanced at Loki, who was talking to Nat. I smiled to see that they were getting along. We finally reached the gate and slipped in, not making a big deal out of it.

"What are you thinking?" Loki whispered, taking my arm in his and slowing so that we were behind everyone else.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"What are you thinking? I am curious," he said, studying my face; his eyes glued to mine.

"Well, I'm thinking about...you. Mostly," I said, slightly embarrassed to admit it aloud to him. Infuriatingly, he laughed.

"And, I'm also thinking about snow. And how much time we have until Thor barges in," I chuckled, and so did Loki. "With our luck, we have maybe ten minutes," he said, looking around apprehensively.

"BROTHER!" Thor called happily, bounding down the hall.

"NEW RECORD!" I yelled, grabbing Loki's collar and kissing him, full power.

"PARDON ME?!" he thought.

"Hold on, he'll buzz off, just give it a minute," I thought back.

I heard Thor's footsteps make a quick course correction and soon, he was gone.

"...You can stop, now..." Loki sent to me slowly, a slight questioning flavor to his thoughts.

"I know," I thought smugly.

"You're not going to, are you?!" he thought, and I knew it wasn't a question.

"Nope. I'm quite enjoying this," I thought, chuckling.

I felt Loki smile, and then he gently pushed me away.

"So was I," he smiled even wider. I laughed, and jumped on his back.

"Let go!" he laughed.

"NEVAARRR!" I yelled, in my best imitation of a battle cry. He sighed, and walked forward into the dining hall, pointing to me who, at the moment, had my arms wrapped around his head. As I was muttering, "Mine, mine, mine, mine,"

Loki asked, "Does anyone have a crowbar?"

"BWAHAHAHAAAAA!" Tony roared, and fell to the floor. Natasha was laughing so hard that no noise came out, and Hawkeye was on the ground, almost convulsing with laughter.

"...Mine," I grumbled.

"You have finally gone insane, haven't you?" Loki chuckled up at me.

"We both knew this day was coming," I said, chewing on my sleeve.

"Quite," he replied, trying again to dislodge me.

"MIIINE!" I hissed, and held on even tighter. He sighed.

"What will it take?" he asked.

"I get to wear your helmet for an ENTIRE day," I bargained.

"Deal," he said, and too quickly, pulled me off of his back and into his arms.

"_Bozhe moy_, you kill me, Astrid!" Nat laughed, when she could breathe.

"Thank you very much," I smirked, and planted a kiss on Loki's cheek. He smiled smugly. He set me down and took my arm again.

Footsteps were heard, as the owner of them walked into the doorway.

The young lady drew and held a long, nervous breath. "Princess Astrid?" Verena, the head Scullery-maid asked.

"Yes, Verena?" I said, looking at her, a question on my face.

Worry was in her eyes, and she was trembling slightly...which made me wonder.

"Someone wishes to see you," she said, sounding a bit scared. Her message delivered, she curtsied and moved aside.

A tall man walked in, he looked of an age with Odin, maybe a bit younger; with long salt and pepper hair and a blue cape. I growled reflexively, and clenched my hands into fists. He had the same eyes as I did, and his nose was also very similar to mine. What hair he had left looked as though it once had been the exact shade of brown that graced my head.

I knew who he was immediately: he was my father.

I had never met him, and I'd never wanted to; I hated him. He left my mother before she gave birth to me, and I'd convinced myself that the miserable excuse for a man probably did not know of my existence.  
Obviously, I had been mistaken.

"Astrid," he started.

"Do not call me that," I growled.

"You look so much like your mother," he said, in an attempt to make me smile. It did just the opposite.

"TAKE COVER!" Loki yelled, running away from me and diving under a table. Our friends were stunned, but not too stunned to take the hint and follow suit.

"Do not even SPEAK of my mother. You didn't care! And if you did, you had a very strange way of showing it," I hissed, stomping over to him.

"Astrid, I truly am sorry. I had no idea about you - Your mother never told me. I wish you could have grown up with a father figure," he said, thinking I would understand. I punched him, and his nose began to bleed.

"No sob stories, I know you're lying. You never cared about me! And, I did grow up with a father figure: I grew up with The All Father. You...you will never be my father," I growled, the tears coming.

I couldn't take it. I pushed him out of the way, holding back the sobs until I could be alone and ran to my room. Slamming the door shut behind me, I flopped down on my bed and began sobbing my eyes out.

"Astrid?" Loki asked, knocking slowly on my door.

"Go away!" I yelled, between sobs.

"Oh, I know you don't mean that," he said, opening the door. Walking in, Loki closed and locked the door behind him, then sat down on the bed next to me. I slumped over and rested my head in his lap.

"I hate him! How did he find me?!" I screamed, my voice cracking with anger.

"I think Thor - thought you would be happy to see him," Loki whispered.

"Alright, then I hate Thor, too," I hissed.

"So do I. I hate seeing you this way; It kills me," Loki whispered, pain evident in his voice. I looked up at him through my tears. He leaned down, and gently kissed my lips.

We heard light knocking at the door, then a hesitant, "Guys...?". It was Nat and Hawkeye, and they sounded worried.

"You alright?" Hawk asked, voice slightly muffled through the door. I sighed.

"No."

"Can we come in?" Tony spoke up. Wonderful; they were all here. I sighed again, mentally cursing the events of this afternoon.

"...All right..." I whispered. Loki heard me, and quickly jumped up to unlock the door. Just as fast, he was back by my side. Nat followed, and sat on my other side.

"Oh, Sweetie," Nat said, her voice sad as she stroked my hair.

"Jeez, I guess THAT guy got the Wrath of Astrid," Hawkeye said, chuckling just the slightest bit. Loki's head whipped around to pin him with a warning stare, but I had to chuckle a bit, too – I suppose Hawkeye was right; my Paternal Pretender HAD managed to awaken my "wrath". I smiled wryly, but then started to cry again.

"We'll take care of him, kid," Tony said, patting my shoulder.

"Thank You, Tony," I choked. The air suddenly felt tense, so I looked toward the door. There, looking more confused than his usual, stood Thor.

"Milady?" Thor asked, confusion coloring his tone. Everyone turned to him, and glared. Loki actually growled, and his hand began to turn blue. I threw a pillow at Thor's head; he was too surprised to dodge, and it hit his face with a slightly satisfying "whoomp".

"YOU are responsible for this," Loki snapped at him, pointing to me.

"What have I done?" Thor asked, protesting, hands up in a helpless gesture.

"You told THAT MAN about me," I hissed. "I hate him for leaving my mother – which you would have known if you had only taken the time to ask your BROTHER," I finished, seeing a light finally dawn in his eyes.

"Ohhh...I sincerely apologize, milady," he said, sorrow and contrition written on his face.

"I'll think about it, Thor," I grumbled, and collapsed back onto Loki's lap. He gave Thor their look that said,_ 'go, she needs quiet, and your presence is not helping'. _Thor nodded, took his leave of our friends, and quietly headed for his own chambers.

Loki looked down at me, and calling a silk cloth to him through his sorcery, wiped a tear off of my cheek. My sobs returned, heavier than before; it was as though a dam inside me had broken, and I didn't think I could regain control on my own. I could barely hear the others talking, but I did hear concern in their voices.

"How long does it usually take her to get over something like this?" Natasha asked, stroking my hair again.

"Usually, it is over by now. I admit, I have never seen her this shaken," Loki whispered, a bit of fear coming out with his words.

"I...I never want to leave this room..." I whispered.

"Hey, don't talk like that, kid," Tony said, rubbing my back.

No-one realized that Thor had left my chamber door open. That is, not until we heard the infuriatingly familiar voice of my "Father" – in my DOORWAY.

"Astrid?" Sven spoke, looking around and finding me in the middle of my friends. Before I could but take a breath, Loki had his strong arms around me. "Help me hold her back!" he yelled to Tony and Hawkeye. I almost got free of him in that moment, and I tried to lunge at Sven. "LET ME GO!" I howled, twisting about.

"Get out," Nat, Tony, and the Hawk growled.

"but I must" he started. Hawkeye cut him off. "You "must" leave! She doesn't want you here. You've ruined her childhood, and she will never get that part healed." He slammed the door in Sven's face.

I collapsed onto the floor, as the sudden burst of strength I felt left me. Loki still held me, and I soaked the shoulder of his shirt with my tears in mere seconds.

"OK, we need to do something about this," Nat said, hands on her hips, red hair in disarray.

"What we need, is for Astrid to get some rest, methinks," Loki answered, swooping me up off of the floor and placing me down on my bed. Surprisingly, I fell asleep soon after. My emotional outburst had completely drained me; my dreams were not pleasant. I had nightmares about my childhood, and about my father.

"When you are very upset, you cry in your sleep," Loki remarked when he could sense that I was awake.

"What?" I asked, my eyes sore and my voice weak. My thoughts felt foggy, and I tried to clear things up.

"No noise, just lots of tears. You soaked your pillow." he said, pointing to the dampened pillow case, draped over the bed frame to dry.  
"What time is it?" I asked.

"10 o'clock in the morning. You slept a lot," he said, standing up. "You needed it."

"Yeah...I suppose I did," I rubbed my eyes and looked up at him. His long black hair was all messed up, and that amused me. His eyebrow quirked up at my weak smile.

"Bedhead," I chuckled, running my fingers through my own hair.

He laughed, and sat back down.

"Agent Romanov...was very worried about you," Loki told me.

"Really?" I asked, grabbing the cup of warm tea that Loki set on my nightstand.

"Yes. Every other minute she was checking in on you," Loki smiled.

"Oh, Gods," I laughed.

We sat in silence as I drank my tea. I had questions, however, and no time like the present.

"Where's Thor?" I asked Loki.

"He went off, with Sif and the Warriors Three. They started their search for the Other, again," Loki said, shaking his head slightly.

"They'll be all right," I told him, rubbing his arm. He smiled at me, happy to see me calm, and not crying.

"Heehee!" A girlish giggle rang through the hall outside my chambers. I didn't recognize the voice, so I put my tea on the table, and gently rose from my bed.

"What goes on out here?" I chuckled as I reached the door, and opened it. Loki simply smiled from his perch on the side of the bed.

"She's coming," another girl whispered loudly, her voice deeper than the first.

"Hide!" another girl squeaked.

"Ow - you're stepping on me," the fourth girl yelped. By this point, I had the door fully open, and could watch the comedy unfolding before me. I had to smile – but I also was unbearably curious.

"What is going on out here?" I asked, staring at them.

"Beg your pardon, Princess," the third one said, dropping a smart curtsey. The rest giggled insanely, but then stared in awe behind me. I turned around to see Loki standing lazily in the door way, his hair now Perfectly smooth. I smirked.

_'they have good taste. I'll give them that,'_ I thought.

"Pardon given, do not worry," I said, looking down at them. "What are your names?" The one with the frizzy hair went first.  
"I am Katerina, milady," she said, curtsying. Her frizzy hair was dark brown and had strands of gold woven into it. Her eyes were the same shocking shade of metallic gold, and her skin was an olive color. She wore a white top, with blue leggings.

"Hello, Katerina," I said pleasantly. She squeaked silently, and turned back to her posse.

"Nno!" the third girl yelped in protest, as her friends pushed her forward. To her credit, she quickly gained her balance and faced me.

"I am Daila, my lady," she said, her voice cracking slightly. She wore a yellow dress with flowers embroidered into it. Her hair was light brown, and her eyes were warm.

"Daila," I bowed my head slightly to her in acknowledgement. She curtsied, and quickly scurried back to her friends. And then, the smallest one came up. She was skinny, and very petite.

"I am Greta, Princess," she squeaked, her voice small, and pleasant. She wore a shirt with puffy sleeves, and a vest over the top. Her skirt started at her chest, and dragged on the floor when she walked. Her short hair, cut into a bob, was a mix between red and purple.

"Greta," Loki beat me to it.

She squeaked loudly at the sound of his voice, and swooned into her friends. I heard a quiet snort of amusement from Loki, which he quickly hid behind his hand.

"Oh, please!" Daila said sarcastically.

The tall one came forward last.

"I am Vanessa, Princess Astrid, Prince Loki," she said, smiling wide. Her voice was full of sunlight, and her long brown hair was braided tightly, and lay over her right shoulder. Her satin tunic was light blue, and her leggings were black, with boots that laced up to her knees.

"Vanessa," Loki and I said together.

She smiled, curtseyed, and walked back to her friends.

"Girls, girls!" Frigga called, walking down the hall. "Queen Frigga!" they chorused, running over to her. I placed my hands on my hips, and looked at Mother Frigga.

"Mother," I started with a smile, "are these your new ladies-in-waiting?" I asked.

They chattered happily, and hugged Mother Frigga.

"Yes, my darling Astrid," she laughed, kissing the girls each on the head. "Quite a happy lot, don't you think? They'll certainly keep me busy!"

I laughed as Loki wrapped his arm around my waist, and pulled me to his side.

"Come now girls, let us give them some privacy!" Mother Frigga sang as she walked down the opposite hall, the girls on her heels, still giggling. As soon as they were gone, Loki took me by the chin, and kissed me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and stood on my toes. He brushed my cheek gently, and smiled, against my mouth as I kissed him back.

"Better?" he whispered with a smile.  
"Better."


End file.
